The Andhra Pradesh government had filed a sedition case against TV5 and ABN Andhrajyothy channels, shortly after YSRCP member and Narasapuram MP Raghu Ramakrishna Raju was arrested by the AP CID. Now, the Supreme Court has served notices to the AP CID and to the AP government in relation to this case.
A division bench of the Supreme Court led by Justice D Y Chandrachud served the notices to the government and to the CID and asked them to submit their counter-affidavits within 6 weeks. The CID and the government, in their petition, requested coercive action on both the channels, to which the SC has given a stay order.
Shortly after the sedition case was filed against them, both the channels in question filed a contempt of court cases against the CID and the government, separately. These petitions came to hearing in the SC today. These petitions stated that the FIR filed against them constitutes charges on freedom of speech under Article 19, and interferes with it as well. They also stated that no action can be taken against the media for telecasting information on the coronavirus situation.
Justice Chandrachud said the FIR indicated that the petition filed against the channels was a suo moto case, and arose after the channels aired programs involving MP RRR and his comments against the government and CM Jagan. The channels have been named accused 2&3 in the FIR, and the SC said that provisions of 124 A and 153 require interpretation particularly on the right of the press,